Jolting up out of bed, my head felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to it. I let out a scream as I grabbed my hair and squeezed my eyes shut. Suddenly, I felt my stomach turn and I leaned over the bed and vomited. I couldn’t see, my vision was dancing with black and gold dots. My head felt like it was going to explode. Reaching out to the night stand, I knocked over the lamp and it shattered. The sound making me scream again. My eyes were tearing up, but I couldn’t even feel anything past the pain.
Reaching out again, I grabbed my phone and unlocked it with my fingerprint.
“Call Adrian…” My voice was hoarse and gravelly.
“Call Adrian “Butthead” Anderson?” The phone replied.
“Yes!” I screamed again as the throbbing turned into a stabbing pain. I started to cough and I could feel my consciousness leaving me.
The phone rang three times before a tired and gruff voice answered. “Seriously, asshole? Do you know what time it is right now?”
“A…A…rian…” My voice broke apart as the world went black. I dropped my phone, hearing it shatter on the floor as I passed out.
-
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The first thing I felt was pain. My head hurt. Not nearly as bad as it had but it was still the first thing I could feel. I went through the motions. Fingers and toes moved? Check. Shoulders and neck? Check. Legs and arms? Check. Eyes? I squinted as I forced the ton of bricks that was holding my eyelids down to move. The light was bright above me and it sent a searing pain through my head. Squeezing them shut again, I groaned.
“He’s awake!”
“Oh baby! Thank god. Are you okay? How are you feeling?”
“Son, what the hell happened?”
“We should get the doctor.”
“Why aren’t you opening your eyes? Is something wrong, baby? Talk to me.”
I took a deep breath. “Shut up. All of you.” I hissed at them. Their voices were like nails on a chalkboard, only adding to the pain.
I heard a door open and a growl. There was a low voice that angrily came across the room. “I told you to keep this light down and I told you not to say a word if he woke up. Here you are, yelling at him and asking him questions. All of you, out. Out now.”
My lips tugged up into a smile. The forceful and low voice of Dr. Jha was unmistakable. She was kicking everyone out of the room and I had never been so grateful to her. There were some retorts, especially from ‘my future wife’ but Dr. Jha didn’t listen to any of them as she ushered them out
“Jason, you stay. Don’t say shit though, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I felt the lights dim and I tried to open my eyes again. This time, it was far less painful. The blank white walls of the hospital greeted me and I sighed. Looking over at Dr. Jha, she had her clipboard and was filling out information from the machines next to me.
“You were right?” My voice came out as a croak and I watched Jason come forward. He handed me a glass of water and I took a couple sips.
“I have a tendency to be right. Especially with how long I’ve been alive.” She glanced at me before looking back over the machines. “You want to tell me which part I was right about this time, though?”
I smiled. “I decided to rest, as requested.”
“A few weeks later, but I’ll take it. I doubt the rest is what forced the headache.”
Nodding, I took another sip of water. Jason was leaning against the wall, observing me.
“It was a memory. Washed out and blurry but I could tell, it was a cohesive memory. A moment that lasted ten minutes or so. I honestly don’t know how long that moment was.” My eyes narrowed, but when I tried to focus on more of the details, the pain in my head got worse.
“Do you remember it now?”
I nodded again. “The details aren’t there but the scene, their words, what I could see, hear, smell, feel in the dream, I can remember it now.” My face became hard as I looked down at my hands. The blood that covered them as I clutched a woman in my arms.
“What moment was it?”
“I think the last moment. We…a woman and I were being held at gunpoint.”
Jason stepped forward. “Gunpoint? What do you mean gunpoint?”
Dr. Jha shot him a look and he stopped, shoving his hands in his pant pockets.
“We weren’t in Vegas, that’s for sure. We were in Italy or somewhere overseas. They were the Mafia. They were trying to teach my dad a lesson for going after their territory. They were going to kill me. Kill me to teach him a lesson.” I looked up at Jason, whose eyes were wide. “She saved me. The woman I had in my arms. She pushed me back and covered me. I was covered in her blood. I don’t know…I don’t know what happened to her. I hit my head pretty hard on the concrete but I didn’t pass out.”
I looked between the two of them. Dr. Jha was studying me as Jason had a confused look on his face. My hands shook as I gathered the blanket in my fists. “She saved my life and I don’t know her. I don’t know her name. Her face was blurry. I don’t even know who she is to me. She saved me and I don’t even know if she is still alive.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I brought my hands up and buried my face in them. I felt Jason’s hand on my shoulder and I shook my head.
“Something is wrong. How was I in Vegas and also international? It doesn’t make sense. Fuck, it hurts my head trying to think about it.”
“I’m going to give you something for the pain and to rest through the IV. I think your mind needs to heal after the memory. If anything, that might be the most painful one and like you said, one of the last ones before you woke up at the hospital here. It could also be something that happened within those six months. You never know but the trauma matches up with your initial diagnosis. Get some rest, Zachary. I’ll keep the family out of the room as long as I can.”
“Thanks, doc.”
She nodded and smiled. “Jason, don’t bother the boy with useless questions. I’m allowing you to stay in here as a guard and a friend.”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Dr. Jha left the room and there were immediately complaints, and you could hear her yelling even through the door. I smiled and chuckled. Leaning back on the pillow, I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“You scared the shit out of me, Zach.”
“Did Adrian find me?”
Jason shook his head. “No. Adrian was in France this week on business. You scared the shit out of him over the phone. He called me in case the penthouse was locked, which it was. When I found you passed out, it looked like you had had a seizure. I freaked the fuck out. Don’t do that to me again.”
I chuckled. “I’ll try not to, but no promises. According to Dr. Jha, it might happen every time I remember something.”
“Shit, dude.” Jason pulled up a chair and sat down, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t know if I could take that again. I thought you were dead.”
“Do you remember if we went internationally? Or if I did during those months?”
He shook his head. “I think the only time we were separated were those last four weeks. We were in Vegas avoiding going to another one of your father’s board meetings. You met yourself a girl and you ended up staying. I headed back after that weekend ‘cause my parents were coming into town from their European tour. You were gone for four weeks, though, before they flew you back to New York, saying you had an accident.”
“Thanks. I don’t think this is going to be an easy road from here on out. Not if remembering a ten minute segment of time lands me in the hospital. I’ve got six months’ worth of memories to remember.”
“Stacy and I are here for you. Whatever you need. Adrian too. I think he decided to fly back as soon as he could. We will stay close and make sure you have people around.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need babysitters.”
“No. No…just someone to find your dead fucking body on the bed after you relive something.” Jason growled and I exhaled.
“I appreciate it.” I paused and looked over at my phone, the screen had been shattered. “You didn’t happen to grab my laptop, did you?” Jason punched my arm and I grunted, rubbing my arm. “Shit! That hurt!”
“No, of course I didn’t grab your laptop.” He stood up. “Get some rest, Zach. If you’re still here tomorrow, I’ll have Stacy bring your stuff down.”
I nodded and leaned back in the bed, finally feeling heavy. “Thanks, Jason. Seriously.”
“Yeah. What are best friends for?”
My eyes closed and I felt sleep take over.
“Zach-y, I don’t know why you won’t allow me at your penthouse anymore.” Jennifer made herself comfortable in my office. She had started to make surprise visits to my office for the past week. Ever since Dr. Jha kicked my family out of the hospital room, the three of them seemed to attach themselves to me at the hip. I couldn’t get rid of them. I thought my headaches with my memories were painful, the things my parents now threw at me were downright torture. Then Jennifer had taken it upon herself to refuse all gifts unless they came directly from my hand. “I told you. I’m rarely there anymore and if I am, it’s only to sleep. I don’t know if or when I’m going to have the same issue. I won’t allow anyone to be around when that happens.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. At first, I hadn’t been keen on explaining the reason for my sudden hospitalization but I finally got fed up with the constant questions. I didn’t want anyone to see me like that. If I could help it, I wouldn’t allow J
“I’m sorry…what?” It took a good five minutes before anyone could speak. I couldn’t even fathom what Jason was telling me. It was Stacy who recovered the earliest. Derek had already gotten up to refill his glass. “He’s been married. Zachary Emmett Anderson, married on May 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada to a Evelyn Harris. Married by an Elvis, but it’s an actual wedding certificate.” Jason turned the computer around to show the photocopy of the marriage certificate. Sure enough, my name was printed out in my own handwriting; as well as my signature. The woman’s name, written and signed in her own handwriting. I stared at the screen for a minute. “I wasn’t drunk when I signed this.” “What are you talking about? Of course, you were drunk! Why the hell would you say that? You were in Vegas for god’s sake.” Stacy grabbed the computer to turn it around. Her glass hovered at her lips before she cursed. “You’re right. That’s your sober signature. What the hell, Zach? What happened in Vegas afte
***Evelyn’s POV*** I heard the music from my alarm and I moaned. If someone said that waking up at 4 a.m. gets easier with time, they were lying. Lying through their damn teeth. Stretching, I reached out with my left hand to silence my phone. Rolling over, I set my feet on the ground and sighed. Wood floors, great for cleaning, freezing cold in the morning. Looking over, my son Elliot was still curled up on his side of the bed. It took him a week for him to start to sleep through my alarms. He had his own little alarms with his favorite songs that got him going in the morning. One of the songs was sung by his father and I didn’t have the heart to tell him he couldn’t listen to it. Smiling, I kissed his head and went into the bathroom for the usual morning routine. Showering, I dried off quickly and placed my brace around my upper body. Attaching my bionic arm to the socket in my shoulder, I locked it in place. Adjusting my neck, I took a deep breath and tightened the muscles in my
“Mom! I’m gonna be late!” I smiled and turned around. Elliot was running toward me in his little school outfit with his blue backpack. Patting my hands on my apron, I pulled him into a hug. “Good morning, pumpkin.” “Mmm…mmmm….we….nneeee…..goooo….” I let go and he exaggerated taking in breaths. “What’s got you so excited about school today?” “We are having animals come today and they have a frog!” Smiling, my son’s newest obsession has been frogs, but his inability to find a frog at our local parks has left him depressed for the last couple months. When he heard there were going to be animals at his Pre-K class, he specifically asked for a frog. I didn’t know if they did actually have one, but it sounded like someone made a promise he was going to hold them accountable for. “Alright, sweetheart. We will go now.” I pulled off my apron and took his hand. “Mike, I’m going to take Elliot to school. I’ll be back in a half hour.” “Sounds good. Have fun, kiddo!” Elliot went up to Mike
“I’m sorry…what?” The voice on the other end stammered. Wiping my eyes, I shook my head at Mike who sent me a worried glare. Turning, I leaned against the wall, away from the eyes of customers. “I said, what took you people so damn long? I put in requests for the divorce as soon as I heard about his engagement to that model. I didn’t hear a single reply back. Not one. Honestly, three fucking months till their wedding and you’re just calling me now?” I could hear laughter on the other end. I knew other people were listening and I wondered if he was as well. I hoped he was. I hope he could hear the spite in my voice. “I’m sorry, ma’am, there are some circumstances that prevented us previously from coming forward. However, we would like to invite you out to the office to settle everything.” “Oh yeah?” I rolled my eyes. Of course, out to them. Why am I not surprised? “You realize I run my own business and I have other things that I need to do, correct? I can’t just drop everything for
Rubbing my eyes, I looked up at the carousel with my flight information on it. I was already holding my hard case with my bionic arm in it. I found out it was much easier to carry on my arm than it was to wear it in the airport. Most of the time, they made you break it apart anyways to look at it since they can’t wand it because it’s full metal. So, it’s just better that it goes through the machine like an instrument. It was a pain to be one handed, but usually airport staff were nice enough to help. There are always exceptions to that, and New York was one of them. It was absolute chaos trying to get through this airport. Finally, one of my fellow passengers, a doctor out for a conference, was nice enough to help me when I needed it. I knew I would be going from the airport to my hotel, then directly to the office because the flight landed on time but took an extra twenty minutes to get unloaded. Sighing, I set my arm down between my legs and leaned over, eyeing my bag. Quickly grabb
His back was turned to me and he was looking out the window. I thanked the gods that I didn’t meet his eyes. I think right there I would have crumbled. But seeing his back, being reminded that all I would ever see is this man’s back made me angrier. It helped me look back down at the page and fight through the pain that now hammered in my heart. Reading over the first couple pages, I went back and started crossing out paragraphs. Fifteen million. They were offering me fifteen fucking million and part of me wanted to be a petty bitch and take them for all their pennies. I couldn’t, though. I couldn’t even take them for more than what I was thinking to help Elliot in the future. Reading through more of it, fifteen million wasn’t even all of it. They also added in a trust of five million, which I crossed out and put one million. That would cover all of Elliot’s college and then some if he wanted to invest in something for his future. Everything else I crossed out. I came to a fun clause
***Zachary’s POV*** “She crossed off all the money.” I didn’t move from where I had fallen back. My hand had touched her shoulder, or what was left of it. Suddenly all her movements with only her left hand made sense. She lost her arm, her whole right arm, saving me. It was enough to do so much damage they just removed it. We also weren’t in Vegas. We were in Greece, for our honeymoon. Not only had we signed the marriage certificate sober but then we had a honeymoon. “What do you mean she crossed off all the money?” Jason grabbed the papers out of Derek’s hands. “Shit. Everything but one million put into a trust account. Literally everything.” I looked at them before racing down the hallway. Jason was behind me, but I didn’t know if Stacy had also made it out. Almost sliding to a stop, I saw her, standing in front of the elevators. Every time I laid eyes on her my heart did flips. When I walked in and looked at her, her head down reading the document, I thought I was going to los